Wolves vs Huddersfield Town match report: Kenny Jackett's men kept off the summit by Powell revival

Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 Huddersfield Town 3

(PA)

Huddersfield had only five points from eight matches before last Saturday’s win over Millwall lifted them out of the bottom three yet were able to maintain an extraordinary record against Wolves, who would have been top of the Championship had they taken three points .

The Yorkshire side have run up seven consecutive wins against Wolves, whom they have beaten four times in a row at Molineux, where they have not lost since 1988.

Two-down at half-time, Wolves were faced with a near-impossible task when Huddersfield extended their lead early in the second half and, although Bakary Sako’s goal with 19 minutes left sparked a rally, they were unable to deny manager Chris Powell his second win since taking charge last month.

Wolves, their attack beefed up by the arrival of Ivorian striker Yannick Sagbo on loan from Hull City, made the brighter start and should have been ahead after 15 minutes, only for the debutant to send his first clear chance sailing over the bar from Samuel Ricketts’ cross.

Huddersfield went ahead in the 21st minute when Grant Holt, starting for the first time after moving across the Pennines on loan from Wigan, bustled past Richard Stearman close to the byline on the right and crossed low for Harry Bunn to sweep home. Stearman complained he had been impeded but to no avail.

Wolves created chances but their finishing was generally inaccurate and both James Henry and Sako were wasteful before half-time. By contrast, Huddersfield looked dangerous whenever they broke out of defence. A chip by Conor Coady and a low shot by Jacob Butterfield kept Wolves keeper Carl Ikeme involved before Scott Scannell doubled their lead six minutes before half-time. Holt played the ball into the penalty area and the winger’s shot from close range took a slight deflection off defender Danny Batth on its way past Ikeme.

The home side needed a quick response but instead found themselves further behind six minutes into the second half when Ikeme could do nothing to keep out a lovely strike by Coady, who curled the ball out of the goalkeeper’s reach from 25 yards.

Nouha Dicko set up Sako to cut the deficit from six yards out after 71 minutes but Wolves were not able to limit the damage further and slip one place to seventh as a result.

Wolverhampton Wanderers (4-4-2): Ikeme; Ricketts, Batth, Stearman, Golbourne; Henry (Clarke, 75), Evans (Rowe, 42), McDonald, Sako; Sagbo (La Parra, 55), Dicko. Substitutes not used McCarey (gk), Edwards, Saville, Ebanks-Landell.

Huddersfield Town (4-1-4-1): Smithies; Smith, Hudson, Lynch, Robinson; Coady; Scannell (Dixon, 90), Hogg (Wallace, 90), Butterfield, Bunn; Holt (Stead, 80). Substitutes not used Murphy (gk), Wells, Billing, Ward.

Referee P Gibbs (West Midlands).